I watched this drama while waiting for Reply 1988 to load new episodes. I had previously attempted to watch it fresh of finishing Reply 1997, and couldn't get into it. I'm so glad now that I went back and gave it another shot at a later time. I adored Jung Woo as Trash Oppa. I'm sure he doesn't rank on most people's lists as super attractive, and I hear there were great fan wars over him and Chilbongie. But Trash was a character that I loved. Na Jung was just a so-so character for me sometimes, but I loved the ensemble of it. This drama's episodes are LONG, so be prepared. Some of them came in at around an hour and a half long. But there is a lot of story to tell. The side character's stories are interesting, and the "husband question" will drive you just as nuts as in Reply 1997, but I think it should be obvious. While I probably won't be going back and watching the entire drama again anytime soon, I do like to go back and re-watch some of my favorite scenes occasionally.

Leia Mais

This was one of the first dramas I watched when I started watching Kdrama last year. I was quickly smitten with the leads and it'll probably always hold a special place in my heart.

The story makes out like Ae-Ra is a gold-digger at first coming after her ex-husband because he is successful now. But as you get into the story, you see that is not it at ALL (Plot summary writers for kdramas are really bad sometimes!). Ae Ra and Jung Woo loved each other then, and they still do now. The lack of communication was their downfall during their marriage. Watch them as they work out what went wrong in their relationship and make their way back to each other.

Joo Sang Wook as the ex-husband Cha Jung-Woo is so adorkable - he quickly won me over with his nerdy cuteness. Ae Ra and Jung Woo could be petty with each other, but they also looked out for one another and wanted to take care of each other. The 2nd leads are a little frustrating, but not overly so. The brother/ sister duo are battling their own issues and Ae Ra and Jung Woo get caught up in the middle as the 2nd leads vie for their affections.
The first episode is mostly setup, so at least watch through episode 2 before making up your mind on it.

The main theme song is pretty and is something I ended up humming during the day.

This is a drama that I enjoy coming back to occasionally for the feels it gives me.

Leia Mais

Initially, after the first episode, I wasn't sure that I would continue watching this show. I thought the first episode was a little depressing, and kind of weird. The characters were interesting though, so I wanted to give it another chance. By episode 2, I knew that this was a drama worth watching. Ho Won is a very sympathetic and relatable character. I loved the friendship between Ho Won, Ki Taek, and Kang Ho - they never got competitive with each other and were always genuinely happy for each other. Seo Woo Jin and Ho Won both showed good character growth through the series. I love how Ho Won influenced Woo Jin for the better. The office politics were not boring or heavy, and the office characters were interesting even if they could have been fleshed out better.

My main complaints about the show were that I felt that the show didn't leave enough time to adequately answer all the questions it raised (I feel like this show could have been extended by 2 episodes easily), and that I wished there had been a tad bit more romance. The romance in this show is VERY minimal, but also very sweet and just beginning to blossom. The sweetness of it is why I was disappointed that we only got the tiniest taste of it before the ending. The show's main focus was the office relationships and politics, and they did those parts well.

The music was not standout, but must have been serviceable. I didn't really notice it much.

This was a good office drama, with both funny and touching moments. There are lessons to be learned about how to live in the moment, that we need to do what's right even when it's hard, and not to give up when life gets tough. Even with some flaws, it's still a good choice and you won't be mad you watched it.

Leia Mais

I was excited to start this drama because I was expecting something epic. However, I ended up very confused for more than half the drama. The machinations of our villain, Lee Lim, were not explained well in the beginning. I didn't understand why he was doing what he was doing - how he was choosing some of the people and for what reasons. Things slowly started to be explained, but it seemed like a lot was being left out. The story wasn't tight and there were plot-holes aplenty! I thought that at the end it would have made a good re-watch to have the knowledge that I didn't have before - that maybe things would be more clear with all the puzzle pieces in place. But I don't have the desire now to go back and see it happen. The product placement was pretty cringe-y and in your face also. I'm guessing the big budget required a lot of PPL, but it was not integrated very well and almost seemed like a complete commercial break to promote this or that product. The last episode was a good wrap up, seeing how the changes in the past changed and re-shaped the characters in the future. I actually did enjoy that part, even if it took up a lot of the last episode. Some people would say that this was a waste of time, but I liked it in this instance (and I always love a good epilogue in both dramas and books!).

Woo Do Hwan was the scene stealer of this whole drama. He nailed his dual role - I could legit believe they were two different characters. You never had to wonder if it was Yeong or Eun Seop in the scene. WDH needs his own lead role STAT! Kim Kyung Nam continues to impress me as well. I am always sold on his emotional scenes - I'd really like to see him take a lead role soon also but he seems relegated to supporting actor. I know that this was LMH's comeback drama and he was supposed to be the shining star of the show, but LMH's acting skills just never "wow" me. He seems to have one expression and sometimes a little glisten of an unshed tear when he needs to be emotional, but he does not sell it to me. He's somewhat pretty, but a pretty face isn't all it takes to carry a big budget drama. I think he's relied on that too long and hasn't developed his acting skills. Kim Go Eun did a decent job of her acting, except for the change over to her doppelgänger "Luna". If it hadn't been for the bad wig and the freckles they added, her second character would have been virtually indistinguishable from her main character. And then to add insult to injury, the writer then completely butchered Tae Eul by turning her into a weepy mess instead of the strong bada$$ we had gotten to know once she "fell in love". And speaking of which.....

The insta-love in this drama was so unbelievable. I thought it was going to be a slow build to romance-town for Tae-Eul and Lee Gon, but instead the writers rushed it and had the couple confessing their feelings before they even really got to know each other. That was one of my biggest peeves in the storyline other than Tae Eul's abrupt personality change.

The drama also set up too many things that they just dropped with no explanation. Sometimes a character was left in one spot, doing a thing, and the drama just moved on to the next scenes and never got back to what the side characters were supposed to be doing. They just left them in limbo. And there were a few characters seemed wholly unnecessary, and too much time was spent on them without having a connection to the plot.

I know it seems like I have so many criticisms for this show that I didn't enjoy it at all which isn't completely true. I was entertained to a point, but there were definitely certain aspects of the show that bothered me. Without being super spoiler-y, I don't feel like I can mention many of those here. It's an ok watch, but not the epic masterpiece I was expecting. They dressed the show up real pretty, but it didn't fail to hide the inconsistencies or fill in the holes in the plot. I am neither encouraging, nor discouraging viewers. There are parts you'll really like, and I think parts you'll really hate, but I think it's best to go into it with your expectations firmly in check.

Leia Mais

This was worth a one-time watch. That being said, there were several flaws in this story that I just didn't care for, though. I liked the main actress, Kang So Ra as Lee Jung Joo very much, but I wasn't such a big fan of the lead Yoo Yeon Seok as Baek Geon Woo all the time. I understand why he was fit for this role though. Geon Woo was not always a likable character for me. By episode 4, I was actively starting to dislike him and was almost holding out hope for the Mayor. I don't know if that was the writer's intention, but I just barely warmed up to Geon Woo when he finally started to mature a little bit. . Although I really liked Jung Joo, both she and Geon Woo were confusing with each other most of the time which was frustrating. The second lead, Mok Ji Won, was also hard to watch. She was a very unlikable character - but, in her case, that was intentional. The push/pull between the leads was nearly just too much for me. Although I did watch and somewhat enjoy the whole series, I would not re-watch. I thought Geon Woo was pretty immature for most of the series, so I had a hard time with Jung Joo faithfully liking him. A couple of scenes in particular really were hurtful. I thought the secondary romance was a good one, and would liked to have seen that explored more, but it probably would have been too much if they had. Some of the backstory was also a little confusing (especially Jung Joo's family realations.) and I'm positive there are some massive plot holes, but if you can overlook most of that, maybe you might enjoy this in spite of yourself.

I know I sound very critical, but it was still enjoyable in spite of the difficulties I had. Kang So Ra makes this worth it in the end!

Leia Mais

Very short quickie drama, about movie length. It's one of those very quiet, slow-moving shows. I wish SJS had had more lines in this - when I say this was quiet, I mean he barely spoke. Thankfully, SJS can speak volumes with just his eyes. ;)
Kim Ji Won, the female lead (whose character happens to have the same name as SJS's character) was really chatty and cute.
This was just a sweet little romance developing story. It's not groundbreaking, or even exciting. It would be a nice rainy Saturday time pass. I don't remember the music if there was any. Not really suited to re-watch.

Leia Mais

Storyline – I thought that this was a good storyline. While it may seem on the surface to be just a typical makeover rom-com, it goes a bit deeper than that. Kang Joo Eun’s transformation is not even really about physical beauty, but about being healthy – which is a better thing to focus on than outward looks. She realizes that she is the same on the inside as she has always been, even if her looks have changed. This story is also about healing, particularly from those scars we have on the inside. Everyone carries something with them that others can’t see. The romance is a mature one where the leads actually communicate with each other.
The secondary romance, while it is a slower tone from the rest of the drama, still tells a story that is relevant and a contrast to the main leads. I initially thought the secondary romance was a little draggy, but upon further reflection I see deeper meaning in it and see why it was done the way it was. I'll still fast forward through them for re-watches. (They are the reason I docked it half a point)
And there is a third, much smaller romance that is very cute.

Acting/Cast – The chemistry between the main leads was off the charts. I became a So Ji Sub fan watching this drama. This was also my first time watching Shin Min Ah, and she also did a great job. I loved the bromance with the characters that were played by Henry and Sung Hoon – they added comedy and heart to the drama. The actor that plays Secretary Min is also adorable (the secretaries are always awesome aren’t they??)

Music – I loved the songs Beautiful Lady and Darling U – very fun. There were also some nice softer songs that I couldn’t name, but went well with what was happening on screen.
My biggest criticisms are that Kim Young Ho/ John Kim’s family relations were not explained very well, and it took a while to sort them out and understand some of their interactions and motivations and the slowness of the secondary romance.
Other than that, this is one of my favorite dramas and it has a good re-watch value. Each viewing is just as good as the first.

Leia Mais

This show was a train wreck. It was one I couldn't stop watching though even when the storyline started to drag and I began to realize that there would be NO resolution and that they planned a second season. I have made it clear before that I do not care for this trend in Korean drama. Part of the appeal is the 'one and done' complete storyline. This ended just very abruptly in the middle of everything, so I'm hoping that the second part is not long in coming.

I think the acting was not really outstanding either. Jeon Soo Kyung was one of the standouts I would say, along with her on-screen daughter, played by Jeon Hye Won (who had THE best scene in the entire run of this series - you'll know it when you see it!). I really despised the acting by the woman playing the mother of the character of Pi Young. Lee Hyo Choon seemed to spend the whole first half crying --- badly. It was super annoying! Most of the others were lackluster at best.

I liked about 3-4 characters in this entire show and pretty much hated everyone else. And it wasn't really a "love to hate" where you enjoy the villain, but still want them to receive their due. I just flat out thought the characters were all despicable. I thought in the beginning that maybe there would be some big twist and maybe things weren't what they seemed. But they were exactly what they seemed or worse. I think the character I hated the most was Ah Mi, played by Song Ji In. Of all the mistresses, she was the worst. And for the mistresses, I hated Song Won (Lee Min Young) the least. My second most hated character was a wife - Hye Rung. I thought she was spoiled and arrogant and cold. While I don't condone cheating in any way, shape, or form I didn't really feel all that sorry for her character. She illicited the least sympathy from me.

And then we come to the character of Dong Mi (Kim Bo Yun)! THAT is a whole bunch of crazy right there! Her character was the most insane. I won't spoil it, but I'm sure you can find someone that has. But she was a creepy bat-crap crazy lady. I'm curious as to where her character is going in the second part.

The music and the cinematography were the best things about this show. They were both really well done - the quality was outstanding. It's just too bad they were wasted on this sort of show.

If you hate cheating, this show will NOT be for you. You may want to give it a chance, but I'd advise against it if you feel really strongly about it not just IRL, but in drama form. While I despise it in real life, I thought I'd give this a chance to see what they did with the characters. As long as the show doesn't glorify the cheating/ cheaters, I felt like maybe I could roll with it. This show has yet to show me where it's taking it, though. The front half is interesting and is where you'll get hooked learning about the wives, but the back half is draggy and pretty much solely about the husbands and the mistresses. Watch at your own peril!

Leia Mais

Better than I thought it would be

Yet another drama that I thought I would have zero interest in and it turned out to be a surprise hit for me. The premise didn't sound that interesting to me, but the amount of high ratings and reviews rolling in when it was complete convinced me to give it a shot. My non-Asian drama watching son even watched it with me and enjoyed it.
The story really kept me guessing for a long time and had a lot of suspense and thrills that raised my anxiety. I was hooked from the first episode, and was easily caught up in the unfolding of events that lead us up to the present day in the story. It was well-written and well-acted. What was surprising to me was how it was as much a love story as it was a crime drama. But it's not the new love kind of drama that you're probably used to as this is a couple that has been married for a long time. They know each other so well...or do they?
I think even people that aren't generally fans of mystery/crime might enjoy this and should give it a chance.

Believe it or not, this is the first time I've ever watched Lee Joon Gi, but his acting was superb. He played his character very well - watching the flickers of expression on his face (and there were many) as he experienced different emotions showed his remarkable skill. He could be cold and calculating one moment and loving and tender the next. Moon Chae Won had good chemistry with LJG and performed well also. I've not really watched her before either, but I enjoyed her in this a lot. I didn't have any expectations of the actors - maybe even low expectations - and I was blown away by how good they were.

I enjoyed the music in this also, and there were several really good tracks.

Leia Mais

This was a light and innocent show about nothing 'spectacular'....but it was sweet and touching, so I'm rating it an 8 because it was still unique in its own way. Although it's got a medical setting (the main characters are physical therapists), I wouldn't call it a medical drama. Perhaps the idea of the characters being physical therapists is a way of showing that healing is sometimes a journey.

I enjoyed all the characters and the glimpse into their ordinary lives. The poems that they included with certain scenes really went well with the stories they showed in each episode. It seems as though they wrote a lot of the stories around each poem, but they did it in a natural way that tugged at your heartstrings. I thought the premise sounded quite odd when I read the synopsis, but it turned out really nice. There were misunderstandings amongst the characters and that seemed to be the basis for a lot of the drama, and characters would have to reflect on themselves for judging a situation too quickly and without all the facts.
While I thought that a couple of the characters weren't as fleshed out as they could have been, we did get to take a peek at most of them and find something to relate to in each one. I liked the relationships between the co-workers - the friendships that developed and how they learned to care for one another. I loved that each of the main characters had their own little 'catchphrase' as it brought some humor to the show. But the characters, while interesting, were also shallowly developed in a way, so there was something just a bit lacking to me in that area.
I enjoyed the light bit of romance (there is a bit of a love triangle, but still nothing overly dramatic), and I was happy with who Woo Bo Young ended up with.

If you are looking for a relaxing show to watch to ease your mind and not have any overwhelming angst and heavy drama, then this is a perfect show for that. I think it's mostly about human relationships and understanding others. I'm happy I decided to watch it and I would recommend it! I think if you are not into the 'slice of life' style of show, you may find this slow paced or boring.

Leia Mais

I actually wasn't sure if I would watch this one or not when I first read the description. I really like Shin Hye Sun and was disappointed that this didn't sound like a show I'd want to watch. But as the good reviews started pouring in, I thought maybe it might be worth a shot. I hesitantly watched the first episode and was surprised to find that I enjoyed it. I usually hate anything with much political overtones, so I had low expectations even though I do enjoy investigation thrillers.This show exceeded any hopes I had for it so much. My only real complaint is that from the build up we had, I was just expecting an ending that would be like a bomb. While, that isn't what I got, I was still very pleased with what they offered. This show is very dialogue heavy, though, so be prepared to keep a close eye on it for details and possibly to have to back up and rewatch a scene here and there. I though the show was very smartly written and fairly riveting.

The cast was excellent. This was the first time I've ever watched Jo Seung Woo, Bae Doo Na, and (the first time I've noticed) Lee Joon Hyuk. They all impressed me a lot. They all had a subtlety and charm about them. Yoon Se Ah as Lee Yeon Jae did a fantastic job - totally bought her being on the edge.

If you enjoy these genres, this drama should be on your short list!

Leia Mais

This would have garnered at least a point more if they had not cut it short so that the ending was so abrupt. I thought Jo Bo Ah was terribly cute as Ha Ni and Ohs Joo Wan grew on me as Hyun Myung. However, Song Jae Rim and Park Ji Soo were just okay in their roles. Kind of bland. Kim Seul Gi was the standout here even as a supporting character. She is always so adorable that I am immediately drawn to any character she plays. As stated, the story would have been better if they had let it play out to the original 16 episodes because the ending was very abrupt, however, I've seen worse endings on shows that were NOT cut off early, so all in all it was not a waste of time at all. It was a bit shallow on characterization, but for 10 episodes, I can excuse it. I enjoyed a lot of the humor and I enjoyed the secondary love story just as much if not just a tad more than the main romance. This was light and easy - like a cheap romance novel that you read for a guilty pleasure. The music was nice, and I also enjoyed the little popup stuff (even though I can't read Korean - there were pictures too) It was a cute story, and while I personally probably won't rewatch it, some people might like to just because it's a breezy fast watch.

Leia Mais

I realize that this show was based on an anime and that there was a Japanese version as well (Nodame's Cantabile), but I have seen neither, so I cannot compare. Knowing that this was based of an anime however, explained a lot with our main lead Seol Nae Il. She was quirkily cute, and it really was like an anime character had come to life. I understand that she was annoying to some, but I found her interesting and charming enough to continue on with this show.

I believe that this is my first show with Joo Won as an actor. He had to grow on me a bit as Cha Yoo Jin, but I warmed up to his character somewhat. Nae Il was my favorite though, withYoo Il Rak coming in a close second (that bleached blond hair though....yikes). I also thought "mini Min Hee" was adorable and hearing them call her by her nickname was super cute. I didn't really warm up to Park Bo Gum's character Lee Yoon Hoo very well at all though. He seemed very tacked on to the rest of the group with nothing much to do except cause the teeniest tiniest bit flicker of jealousy in Yoo JIn. I honestly didn't feel like any of the characters were developed well enough and that is part of the lowering of points.

The music was fantastic and probably one of the main reasons to watch this show. Both the piano and violin parts are so moving to hear. The story didn't progress as much as I hoped and there was not enough justification given for some of the character's actions for me. So it was a little messy and the story was a little flat, but the characters were kind of engaging. This drama has a romance tag, but the romance is very minor. I was disappointed in Cha Yoo Jin the most. Seol Nae Il was very open about her feelings, but Yoo Jin was very reserved. This was understandable in the first 3/4 of the show because his character is learning to open up to other people. However, I was expecting even the tiniest bit more from him by the last episode and was it was very unfulfilling and had a lackluster ending. I don't want to give away anything, so that's all I will say.

I won't re-watch this simply because I wasn't completely satisfied with the plot. It wasn't a bad show, by any means, and is worth a watch if you just need a casual filler. And if nothing else, the music is beautiful!

Leia Mais

This was a very nice family drama. I enjoyed all the stories, even if it started to drag a little long toward the end. I heard it got an extension, so that may be the reason why some of the stories seemed to drag on a bit too long. Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot, though. Even though it wasn't perfect, I didn't feel the need to ff or skip any scenes or episodes. My main complaints were some things that were left unexplained or dropped from the beginning of the show, and also that the chemistry between the actors that were supposed to be in relationships could have been better. (I feel that was more of a direction thing and not the fault of the actors.)

For acting, Yoon Park (as Kang Jae) and Son Dam Bi (as Hyo Jin) in particular could have been better. Yoon Park was a bit stiff. Kim Sang Kyung (as Tae Joo) was good, but sometimes a little overacted - mostly when he was supposed to be funny. He nailed the more serious parts. Kang Shim was probably my favorite character, and Kim Hyun Joo did a good job acting her role. I also enjoyed Park Hyung Shik as Dal Bong as another favorite - it was really cute when you could see how similar he was to his father. I enjoyed all the characters, though - even the ones that could be annoying sometimes.

There was a nice balance between the comedy and the drama, and I laughed a lot and shed a few tears. There were definitely some emotional scenes. This drama really makes you want to show your family appreciation and love while they are still here with you.

I rated low on the re-watch just because I doubt I will ever re-watch a 53 episode drama.
The music was nice, especially the Father's Youth song - very touching.

Leia Mais